Equivalent Exchange
by itachikage
Summary: At the end of his second year, Harry makes a surprisign choice of elective that leads to him discovering something he truly loves.
1. Chapter 1

So, here's the first chapter of my FMA crossover. It starts at the end of the second year, but this chapter finishes the second year and the following summer. Next chapter starts the third year, and the story will continue at a more normal pace.

I am not the owner of FMA or HP.

* * *

FMA chapter 1

Harry stretches as he walks into the Great Hall. Last night's sleep had been among the best he'd ever had. He was vindicated. The whole school knew the truth, or at least part of it. Harry hadn't opened the chamber of secrets. In fact, Harry had gone into the chamber, fought and killed Slytherin's monster before defeating the Heir. That was the story going around the school. No one knew that the heir was Ginny Weasley. That was probably for the best. After all, she didn't have any control over herself. It wouldn't do to have her be tormented by the petrified students and their friends, not to mention being crucified by the daily prophet once some (i.e. Malfoy) let slip that she was behind it. Her life would be over.

He was early, with only a few Ravenclaws and two Slytherin's awake and eating breakfast. Professor McGonagall walks over to him as soon as he sits down.

"Mr. Potter, Good morning." She smiles, handing him a slip of parchment, "Most of the other students completed this yesterday, but Professor Dumbledore thought it would be best to wait until today. Please select your electives for next year, and return the parchment to me as soon as possible."

"Of course." He nods, looking down at the parchment.

_Muggle Studies – Look back on the ways that muggles have impacted the wizarding world, and how they can work with us to expand into tomorrow. Professor Burbage._

_Arithmancy – Basic predictions based on mathematical calculations, eventually tying into why your spells work, and how to change them or create new spells entirely. Professor Vector_

_Ancient Runes – The study of the language and uses of ancient runes for the purpose of translating ancient documents, imbuing magic into a nonmagical item, or creating barriers. Professor Babbling_

_Care of Magical Creatures – Learn about the nature, and handling of a wide verity of magical creatures, as well as the uses of said creature and how to safely harvest them. Professor Kettleburn_

_Divination – Open your inner eye and see into the future! Professor Trelawney_

_Alchemy – Understand the theory of alchemic arrays and their use in the creation of new material, as well as studying the creation of said arrays, and adjusting their powers for a desired purpose. Professor Elric_

_Healing – Learn to heal small wounds and antidotes to minor poison and creature venoms, as well as removing all manner of curses, jinx, and charms. Madam Pompfrey_

_Pictomancy – learn the uses of magical paints and pigments, as well as the combined effects of a verity of colors to produce magical works of art. Professor Jose_

"Let's not do Muggle studies." He mutters, placing a line through it, "I've had enough of muggles for a life time." Looking them over, the next one he removed was pictomancy, "I never was much of an artist in grade school." After that was Ancient runes, "I had enough trouble with Spanish. I can't imagine how I'd survive that." Last was Divination, "seriously a lame description."

That left Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy, and Healing. His first instinct was to rule out Alchemy, but he keeps flashing back to the end of his first year, and the Philosopher stone, and he couldn't resist the temptation to find out what it was. Getting up, he walks to the head table and up to Professor McGonagall, "Is there a limit to the number of classes I can take?"

Obviously this wasn't what she'd expected, but she covers fairly well before answering, "Technically, no. However, special arrangements have to be made for students who have chosen four or more electives. These would require you to be a student in good standing, and have the grades to show that you can cope with the increased course work. I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but I can't say that after your work the last two years that you would be able to handle it."

"That's alright." He sighs, "Then I'll just drop Care of Magical Creatures. After fighting a basilisk, it doesn't seem nearly as fun as it would have been." Making the necessary changes to the slip, he hands it back to her.

After a moment of looking at it, she smiles, "Well, this is a surprise. You are the only Gryffindor this year to opt for Alchemy. Even Miss Granger decided against it."

"I just can't shake the fascination I've had since I saw the philosopher stone." He shrugs.

"Excellent. Perhaps Mr. Wesley hasn't ruined you yet." She smiles, "Five points to Gryffindor."

Nodding, Harry walks back to the table and sat next to Hermione, who had arrived since he left, "What did you need to talk to Professor McGonagall about?" she asks him.

"I hadn't picked my electives." He answers, "I choose Arithmancy, Healing, and Alchemy."

"Wow." She smiles, "You're the opposite of Ron. He deliberately chose Divination and Care because he thought that they'd be the least work."

"I thought about Care, but with what happened with Aragog and the Basilisk this year, I think I'm put off magical creatures for life. Fawkes can only do so much."

"Well, It looks like you and me can do our Arithmancy Homework together next year." she smiles, "I took care, Divination, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and muggle studies."

"Hermione, leave some classes for the other students!" Harry laughs as she playfully slaps him in the arm.

"Still, I'm surprised that you choose alchemy." She says happily, "Maybe Ron hasn't ruined you yet."

"You know, McGonagall said that same thing. And I'll have you know that I was one of the best students in my class during grade school. I just got lazy when the Dursleys started beating me for 'pressuring their little duddykins with my freakish grades.'"

"Well, I hope that you stay this way." She says as she starts dishing up her breakfast, "but you won't see Ron in any of your electives."

"Maybe, but I still like my choices. Alchemy is interesting, Arithmancy sounds like it might be fun, math was my best subject after all, and after what I've gone through the last two years, a little healing wouldn't go amiss."

"True. I wish I'd thought of that." She mutters, "But I thought that five was a good place to stop. Alchemy might be a bit too much on top of everything else, I've heard it's really tough, and I'm not an artist, so Pictomancy is out, but it was a tossup between Muggle Studies and Healing."

"Well, I'll give you copies of all of my notes." Harry promises, "I just hope that this summer is better than last."

* * *

As it turns out, it wasn't. The first thing that happened when he got back to Number Four was this trunk and supplies, wand included, being locked under the cupboard. His protests about summer work fell on deaf ears. If anything, it might have encouraged them. After all, if he got kicked out, he might come back and they could have their personal slave back.

The second thing was he was locked in his room, with only Hedwig to keep him company. The only improvements over the last year was that there were no bars on his window, and he had permission to let her out at night to do some hunting and send letters, as long as the neighbors didn't notice. Not that they would notice anyway. He'd learned that all owls used to send letters have selective notice me not charms so that no muggle unaware of magic will notice that they exist.

The third thing that happened was Dudley's school physician decided to try and kill him. She sent home a few letters that, despite their best efforts to the contrary; the Dursleys could find no counter to. They'd always insisted that Dudley was perfect and didn't need to change, and that anyone who said otherwise was wrong. But none of that changed the simple fact that the school did not have clothes big enough to fit him anymore. It took the better part of an afternoon of yelling, screaming, and crying before Dudley tearfully gave in. out of respect for Dudley, all of them would be on the same diet, not that Harry cared. As soon as his first miserable breakfast of a few grapes was finished, he sent Hedwig off with letters pleading for aid from his friends, who responded. A sack full of rock cakes from Hagrid (Which Harry was saving as ammo for when Dudley found his stash) five baskets of pastries, breads and the like from Mrs. Weasley, and a bag of health fruit and sugar free candy from Hermione (whose parents were dentists,) now filled the loose floorboard under his bed. Needless to say, for the first time in his life, he was eating better than the Dursleys.

Only a couple of days after he arrived back, Ron Weasley made the mistake of calling and what happened next was a shouting match of epic proportions. Ron was shouting because he didn't know that he didn't have to, and Uncle Vernon was shouting because Ron mentioned Hogwarts. After deafening most of the neighborhood, and ripping the phone out of the wall, Vernon started to beat Harry with the phone until Harry was bleeding and the phone was destroyed. Just to add insult to injure, Harry was forced to clean up the millions of little pieces it had been broken into it.

As the summer passed, he grew more and more stir crazy. The Dursleys had refused to let him leave the house, as they were hoping that the neighbors would forget that he lived there. It didn't help any that the Hogwarts letters came on his birthday, accompanied by several other owls delivering various birthday presents and cakes enchanted to stay fresh. With the letter came a permission slip to visit Hogsmeade village.

When he went down to breakfast, as he was about to ask Uncle Vernon about the permission slip, he dropped a bombshell of his own. Aunt Marge was coming to visit for a week that afternoon. To Dudley, that meant that he would be free from the diet for a week, and he'd likely get a new present. For Harry, that means that the only person he hated more than Snape, the Dursleys, and Voldemort combined was coming to visit.

Thinking quickly, he turned out his pockets and counted out the galleons and sickles. If he could get this turned to muggle money… Hermione! Racing up the stairs, he placed the galleons in a pouch that he attached to Hedwig's leg and sent her off with a note. Three days later, three days into the hellish visit, Hedwig arrived back, bringing with her a quick note and more than enough money. While Uncle Vernon, Dudley, and Aunt Marge were out shopping, Harry approached his aunt petunia.

His offer was simple. She signs the permission slip, unlocks his things from the cupboard, and lets him leave. In return, he gives her fifty pounds and they don't see each other again until the next summer. It took a moment of consideration before she grabbed a pen and signed the permission slip. Sending Hedwig to the leaky Cauldron, he puts her cage, along with all of the food he had stashed in the floorboard, into his truck and leaves the house after calling for a cab to pick him up a few streets away. Aunt Petunia didn't want anyone to associate it with her.

Ignoring the cabby's questioning look when Harry asked to be let out in front of a rundown building, Harry paid the man and walked into the bar, where he was immediately met by Hedwig and a man that Harry had seen only once before, Cornelius Fudge, The Minister of Magic. Apparently, He had worried the ministry by leaving his house and not being seen again, with only an owl with no letter to tell of his state. Somehow, this turned out to be for the best, as Fudge took it upon himself to pay for Harry's stay for the rest of the summer.

With the ability to finish his school work reattained, and before he could fall into the old habit of procrastinating, Harry went to Gringotts and replenished his money supply, than got all of the required books for the next school year. Finally, with everything safely locked in his trunk he grabbed all his homework, and the books he needed to complete them and sat down at a booth in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlor to work. The owner, Florean, said that he always supported a boy with good work ethic and brought him a free sundae every half hour, and with it a bit of advice on whatever piece of work he was working on at the time. Between the two of them, it was done by the end of the first day, and Harry could finally relax. Jotting down a quick note to both Ron and Hermione, he sent Hedwig on her way and through himself down for the night.

With his homework behind him, Harry spent the next three weeks exploring the little known shops in Diagon Alley (And a few in knockturn alley. But don't tell anyone!) And admiring the state of the art racing broom that went on display a week after he arrived. The firebolt. As amazing as it looked, he couldn't see himself replacing his tried and true Nimbus that's never lost him a game just for a bit more speed. Once all of that had grown dull, Harry started into what Ron would call a Hermione habit and started reading through his new textbooks. Arithmancy didn't seem too confusing on the surface, but some of the equations still made his head spin by the end. Healing was completely lost on him, so hopefully Madam Pompfrey did a better job of teaching then the book did.

But the subject that really caught his interest was Alchemy. There were two different Alchemy classes offered at Hogwarts. One is the third year elective that Harry would be taking, which focused on practical alchemy. The other was exclusively for sixth and seventh year's students who showed an aptitude for Potions, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. This was focused on lab based alchemy, which was far more difficult than practical alchemy. The required textbook, 'Equivalent Exchange: the Beginner's Guide to Alchemy.' By Izumi Curtis, was based solely on practical Alchemy, and Harry found it quite the engaging read. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts so he could practice.

When his curiosity got the better of him, and he bought some more advanced textbooks, he groaned at how complex some of the experiments detailed in them were. It was no wonder that his was restricted to sixth and seventh years. He probably understood one or two words in the entire first chapter. Still, those on practical alchemy made slightly more sense, and Harry still had them all read by the end of the summer.

On the very last day, Harry went down to breakfast and was engulfed by a bushy haired missile. Hermione and the Weasley had finally showed up. He'd been expecting them since the Weasley returned from Egypt the week before, but there was no sign of them, and he was getting nervous. Hermione's first question was if he'd finished his summer work, which he handed to her and Professor granger deemed it acceptable, but was quick to point out where Harry was only partially right, not to criticize him, but so he knew for the future. Ron stared at them in wonder as they had a meaningful discussion about school work.

He happily accompanied them to get their school supplies, and after a quick word with Florean, both he and Hermione were treated to free sundaes, though Harry was courteous enough to pay for the Weasley's to join in. The last place they went was the pet store, so that Hermione could get an owl and Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, could be wasn't long until a giant orange cat tried to get at the poor rat. After buying a small bottle of rat tonic, Ron grabbed Scabbers and ran before they could be attacked again by the beast, while Harry and Hermione kept looking. Eventually, Hermione decided that instead of an owl, she would by the cat, whose name was Crookshanks.

Ron and Hermione got into a big fight over the cat, who was growling in his cage and sending Scabbers running into the bar, Ron in hot pursuit. With Scabbers safe in the Weasley's room, and Hermione's new pet in her own, they group sat down for a nice dinner. Not long after, Harry lay down in his bed, looking forward to the train back to Hogwarts the next day.

* * *

The next morning, Harry was up and about plenty early, making sure that all of his school supplies were packed, picking up a few new books and some potions ingredients, intent on actually trying to pass the class this year, before putting everything in his trunk and bringing it down stairs just as the first Weasley, Percy, was up.

"Good Morning Harry." He smiles kindly, extending a hand, "I must say that I'm impressed that you seem to be making the effort to improve your school work."

"Thank you, Percy." He nods, shaking the offered hand, "And my congratulations for becoming head boy."

"Thank you." He says proudly, looking around the room to see if Harry's words had gathered any attention, "If you don't mind my asking, what brought about the change?"

"I don't know. Everything just started going weird after I decided on Alchemy as an elective, then being sent off to the Dursleys for the summer, where I had nothing to do, by the time I got here, I was bored out of my mind, and just started studying. The next thing you know, I've read through four volumes of Alchemy textbooks, and I'm waiting for the fifth."

"Alchemy, huh?" he nods, "I never took it myself, but I'm glad you found something that you like, and I hope that this isn't a temporary thing."

"I hope so too. Honestly, I can't really see myself going back to leaving all of my work to the last minute like I've done for the last two years." He shrugs, and Percy pats him on the shoulder.

"Well, if you need any help, just ask. As head boy, it my duty to aid where I can."

"Thanks Percy. I'll do that." He nods, "By the way, the twins pranked your badge."

Percy looks down at his chest and flushes in embarrassment as he reads 'Bighead Boy', "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Harry. I will be right back." On that calm note, he charges up the stairs, screaming for the twins.

Ten minutes later, two bruised twins limped down the stairs, followed by Percy, whose badge was restored to normal. Looking over at the clock on the wall, he turns to Percy, "I want to get a head start to the train. Can you tell everyone else?"

"That won't be a problem." Percy nods, "I suppose you want to make sure there isn't a repeat of last year?"

"You know me too well." Harry chuckles, "Besides, that was Ron's idea. I wanted to send an owl."

"Funny. Ron said the same thing." Percy glares, "But, I think I'll trust you for now. See you on the train."

"See you." Harry says as he walks over to the bar, pays eight Knuts for a pinch of floo powder, and flooed to the platform just as the train rolls in. The platform was mostly empty, aside from a few students scattered around, some with their parents. Once the train was stopped, Harry put his trunk in the luggage compartment, and opened the door to Hedwig's cage, "Why don't you fly ahead to Hogwarts? You haven't exactly had much time to fly."

Hedwig hoots in appreciation before taking flight and soaring in the sky above the railroad tracks. With everything stored away, except the bag he was taking with him, Harry climbed aboard the train just as the platform started filling up. Every now and then he would spot someone he knew, mostly a few older Gryffindors that he only knew by face, but he also saw his dorm mate, Sheamus, who arrived with his mom.

As the remaining time ticked down, Harry started growing anxious. Finally, five minutes before it was set to depart, the weasleys bustled onto the platform, and Mr. Weasley was forced to break out his wand to get the trunks put away in time. The train began moving almost as soon as all five children were on the train. Two minutes later, the door to his cabin opens.

"Harry, why did you leave so early?" Ron asks, "Dad was hoping to get a word with you."

"Sorry about that." Harry sighs, "After what happened last year, I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss the train again."

"Good for you." Hermione says approvingly, and then looks at his bag, "What book is that?"

"My alchemy textbook. Since we're on the train, we can use magic again, and I wanted to try some out." Harry answers, taking out a sheet of plastic that he'd prepared in advance. A basic transmutation circle was drawn onto it to the precise specifications listed in the book, so Harry puts it on the floor and after a few calming breathes, he points is wand at it. Immediately there was a flash of green light that filled the compartment, and Harry was forced to squint. After it passed, Harry smiles brightly, picking up the small model dog that had been created, "See?"

"That's incredible!" Hermione says as he looks at the dog from all sides, "How did you do that?"

Harry moves over next to here and takes out a second piece, using it as an example, "The circles itself is necessary for the transmutation, but the shapes and symbols inside are what affect the overall effect. An advanced alchemist might be able to achieve a complex transmutation was a simple circle, but I've got to be a precise as possible. The mirrored triangle is what defines the shape, and when combined with the symbols for mercury and gold, changes the shape to a dog. After that, the material on which it's as drawn, in this case, a piece of plastic would turn into a dog of the same material and mass."

'Harry, are you actually doing school work on the train?!" Ron gasps, "I think Hermione's been a bad influence on you."

"Not really." Harry shrugs, "After all, alchemy is useful. With enough skill, I could create a philosopher stone and live forever. Would you still say that she was a bad influence on me?"

"That's the spirit." Hermione smiles, taking out a pad of paper, "Can you start explaining form the beginning? I really wish I'd taken it now!"

Harry was only too happy to oblige, taking out a quill and drawing a few test circles on the parchment before turning each into a different animal, all while explaining why each was different. Hermione was taking notes so fast, it's a wonder the paper didn't burn. As the lesson continued, Ron looked more and more upset that harry was taking his school work seriously.

"Does it have to be the same material?" Hermione asks after Harry creates a parchment tiger, "I mean, could you transmute this paper into metal?"

"It's possible, but that's much more complex, and I doubt I could really do it effectively. It takes very precise combinations to alter the structure of a material, and if you aren't carefully, the results could be disastrous." Harry explains, taking out the one piece he'd prepared for this exact experiment and handing it to her, "This was taken from one of the textbooks, and it turns plastic to stone." Harry says as he points his wand at it again. When the light of the transmutation disappeared, Harry showed her the block of stone, "But because the circle was so complex, I couldn't alter the form. I would have to draw a new circle on the stone to turn it into something else. So I would have to draw two circles, which would take twice as much time, and twice as much risk of making a mistake to do what a more advanced alchemist could do in one attempt. Like I said. Not very effective."

Ron scowls at them as they continue their conversation, but remains silent for the entire trip.

* * *

So, next is the remainder of the train ride, and the first morning of hogwarts. Feel free to leave a reveiw. I don't usually bite.


	2. The First Morning

Enjoy the second chapter of Equivalent Exchange.

* * *

FMA chapter 2

As night fell across the countryside, Harry knew from experience that they were approaching the school, "Looks like we're almost-" Harry starts before the train grinds to a halt, sending him crashing into the back of his chair, "What was that?" he says, looking out the window, which had started to freeze.

"I don't know." Hermione mutters, looking as well, "But I see something moving out there."

"So do I." he replies, "It's coming onboard."

On the inside windows, the condensation starts to freeze, covering the window with a thin layer of ice identical to the outside window. A dark shadow moves in front of the door, and Ron starts shaking and cowering in the corner. Hermione is looking around worriedly, and Harry's eyes are glued to the handle of the door as the handle starts to turn.

As the door slides open, Harry feels an unnatural chill. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was screaming. A large, black cloaked figure glides into the room, and the scream in his mind grew louder. Pointing his wand towards it, Harry stutters, "Get the hell out of here!"

It doesn't even stop moving forward, and a moment later, his vision darkens as someone screams his name.

* * *

Hermione was shaking as Harry stood between her and that creature. 'This can't be happening.' She thinks as her entire body goes numb from fear, 'this is just a sick joke by Malfoy.' In front of her, Harry was shouting at it, and she kept praying that it would just leave, but it kept moving, and Harry collapsed to the ground.

All thought of this monster forgotten, she rushes forward, just as someone shouts from the doorway, "Expecto Patronum! A silver mist fills the compartment, and the cloaked creature flew past her, shattering the window on its way. At the door was an older man in shabby robes, wand held in front of him, "Is everyone alright?" he asks.

"I don't know!" she cries, "Harry collapsed! What was that?!"

"Harry?' he asks sharply, kneeling next to him, "Harry… Well, it looks like he's just unconscious. Thank goodness I made it in time." Reaching into his back pocket, he removes two bar of chocolate, "Here eat this. It'll help. Now, I've got to go have a word with the conductor."

Hermione nods slightly as she bites into the first bar. A sudden warmth flows through her body and she smiles, "Here, Ron." She says handing him the second, which he scarfs down without a word. A moment later, the train starts moving again, and it wasn't long before Hogsmeade came into view.

Across from her, Harry starts to groan as he opens his eyes, "Hermione? What happened?"

"You passed out." She answers, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, aside from a splitting headache." He mutters.

The compartment doors opens and the man walks back in, "Harry, I'm glad you're awake." He says happily, handing him a bar of chocolate, "This should help somewhat."

Harry shots her a questioning look, and she nods back. Taking a bite, he smiles, "Thanks."

"It isn't a problem." He chuckles, "I don't really know why it works, but it does and that's what matters, right?"

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Hermione asks.

"Professor Lupin. I'll be your Defense against the Dark Arts teacher." He replies.

"Well, I hope that you're better than Lockhart." Harry chuckles, "I think we learned more from Mrs. Norris than him."

Lupin laughs, "So I've heard. Though I believe that you are very right about that. During my time, I learned quite a bit sneaking around after hours and avoiding that cat. That said, I do hope to be a better teacher than her."

"Well, good luck, and I hope you last more than a year." Harry grins, "We really need someone to last, or else how are we ever supposed to pass our owls?"

"Well, I promise that I will do my utmost." He says with a mock bow, "Now, I've sent a letter up to the school, informing them of the search, and that you had fainted."

"Search?" Harry asks quietly, taking another bite of chocolate.

"Those dementors. According to the ministry official outside, they are here to search the train for Sirius Black." He says with venom, "As I understand it, Fudge did this himself without Dumbledore's approval."

"What is a dementor?" Harry asks stupidly.

"A guard, from Azkaban." He answers, "A monster that should never be allow anywhere near children."

"What was fudge thinking?" Harry glares.

"Probably wanted to be sure that everyone knew he was doing his best to ensure the students safety." He shrugs, "He's a politician. He doesn't care about doing what's right, just doing what **looks** right. Why would the public care if a few kids were traumatized if Black was caught?"

"It was the same last year." Hermione sighs, "He arrested Hagrid for no other reason than because he wanted to look like he wasn't completely clueless."

The train slows to a stop, and Harry's head jerks back, as if expecting another Dementor to come in.

"No need to worry." Lupin says calmly, "We're here. Everyone, I look forward to seeing you in class."

"Oh, right." Harry mutters, oblivious to the fact that he'd just walked out of the room.

On the platform, Harry managed a smile when they ran into Hagrid, his first real friend in the wizarding world. "Hello, Hagrid!" he smiles.

"Harry! Well, I expect that you'll regret not taking Care of Magical Creatures this year!" he says proudly, puffing out his chest and knocking Malfoy over, "Whoops. Sorry about that, Malfoy."

"My Father will hear about this!" Draco shouts as he rushes towards the carriages.

"Your father already tried to get rid of me once!" Hagrid calls, "So, I'm not worried!" Turning back to them, he nods, "Right, where was I?"

"Something about me regretting not taking Care?" Harry smiles, remembering Malfoy's face.

"Right. Well, I've got some really great lessons planned, and I'm sure everyone will enjoy it."

"You're the care of magical Creatures Teacher!" Hermione gasps, "So it was you who assigned the Monster Book of Monsters!"

"That's right." He nods, "A real good read, got its facts straight, and always good for a bit of a laugh."

"How do we open it?" Ron glares.

"Just stroke the spine." Hagrid says easily, "Said so on the back."

"Oh…" Ron blushes in embarrassment, though it looks like Hermione hadn't noticed either.

"Well, you lot better get moving." Hagrid says as he waves them on, "First years! This way!"

Harry leads the other two towards the carriages, where they get one to themselves. "I never thought Hagrid would be a teacher." Harry smiles.

"It does make sense though." Hermione chuckles, "Who else would assign a biting book?"

"He's lost it." Ron mutters.

"Maybe, but he's bound to be a better teacher than Lockhart." Harry shrugs, "You're just mad about Aragog."

"It was a giant spider that wanted to eat us!" he shouts, ears red, "Sorry if that makes me a little upset!"

"But it didn't eat us, and Hagrid couldn't have known." Harry counters.

"Sure he could have! It's a monster, Harry! It doesn't get along with people!"

"That's your opinion. I think that if it were raised right, it might be able to." Hermione says, taking Harry's side.

"What's with you guys?!" he shouts, "I suppose that you think Fluffy was a good dog?!"

"I do." Harry nods, "He did his job well, and no one got hurt except for Snape, and that's no real loss."

"Harry!" Hermione chides him halfheartedly.

"And Norbert!? He bit me, remember?!"

"He's a baby that was teething." Hermione replies, "At least he didn't light you on fire like he did Hagrid."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing…" Ron grumbles, "Why the bloody hell did I take this stupid class..?"

"Because you decided to be lazy." Hermione answers, "And all the older students said that it was the easiest class, next to divination."

"Probably was, before we got a nut for a teacher…" Ron glares.

"Don't call Hagrid a nut." Harry snaps.

"Well, he is." Ron says defensively.

"He's also my friend!" Harry growls, making Ron jump.

"So am I!" Ron shouts back.

"Then start acting like it!" Harry yells as the carriage grinds to a halt and he jumps out with Hermione, leaving Ron looking shocked.

Halfway up the stairs to the entrance hall, Professor McGonagall waves over to them, "Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, please come with me."

"Yes Professor." He nods, following her back into the school and up the stairs to her office. Inside, Madam Pompfrey was waiting for them.

"Mr. Potter…." She glares, "I suppose I knew that I would be seeing you some time this year, though I'd hoped it would be after the year started."

"I feel the same, Madam Pompfrey." Harry smirks, "I just don't have any luck with magical creatures. Between a basilisk, a house elf, an attacking tree, and now a Dementor, I really need to work on my defense."

With a faint smile, she nods, "Well, I'm glad that you seem to have recovered from your encounter, though it might be a good idea for you to have some chocolate anyway."

"I already had some." He replies, 'Professor Lupin gave it to us."

"Well, it's good to finally have a Defense teacher who knows the remedies." She nods.

"Thank you, Poppy." McGonagall nods, "IF you and Mister Potter would please leave, I have something I wish to discuss with Ms. Granger."

"I'd best be leaving anyway." Pompfrey says calmly, "By now, some gullible first year must have eaten one of the Weasley twins joke candies, so I'd best run damage control."

"I keep asking them not to do that…" McGonagall growls, and Harry rushes from the room.

Five minutes later, Hermione and the professor walk out of the room, "The first years should be arriving soon. Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, please make your way to the Great Hall."

"Yes Professor." They chime and begin the walk back down to the Great Hall. McGonagall closes the doors behind them and waits.

* * *

Once the sorting was over and done with, Dumbledore stood up and smiles, "Welcome to another exciting year at Hogwarts! Now, before we all dig in, I have a few important announcements. First, as you are all very much aware, The Dementors of Azkaban searched the train for Sirius black at the insistence of the Minister for Magic. Over the course of this year, until Sirius Black is captured, the dementors will be standing guard at all entrances to the grounds." A quiet murmuring echo in the hall, but Dumbledore keeps going regardless, "Now, it should go without saying that no student will be allowed to leave the grounds without permission. A word of Caution. The dementors are vicious creatures. They can see through charms and potions, and even invisibility cloaks-"at this, Harry could swear that Dumbledore was looking him in the eye, "And will not discriminate between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Exercise extreme caution while near the edge of the grounds. I shall entrust our Head Boy and Girl to see to it that no student runs afoul of the dementors."

Many students shudder almost as much as when you say 'Voldemort'. Dumbledore's expression brightens considerably as he continues, "Now, on a far more cheerful note, we have two new additions to the staff this year. First, it is my great pleasure to introduce Professor Lupin, who has consented to fill the ever present void that is the Defense Against the Dark Arts position." Here, he stops to allow Lupin to bow and to give the students, who were polite enough to clap for the shabby looking wizard.

Only Harry and Hermione clap particularly hard for him, and were the very last to stop. Once he'd seated himself again, Dumbledore continues, 'Yes, thank you, Professor Lupin. Now, for our second new appointment. At the end of last year, our Dear Professor Kettleburn decided to retire, so as to spend more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid-"Dumbledore tried to continue, but it was pointless.

The entire hall (save Slytherin) erupted into applause for the well liked Gamekeeper turned professor, and the Gryffindors in particular were making more noise than at your average Quidditch match. It was nearly five minutes before the applause (and boos from the Slytherins) died down and allowed Dumbledore to continue, "Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties. I'm sure that you will all find his lessons extremely informative. So, with that out of the way, let me simply say tuck in!" With a clap of his hands, the golden dishes on the table filled with food and the crowd cheers as they begin eating.

"Did you see Snape's face when Lupin was introduced?" Seamus whispers, "Remind me of whenever he looks at Harry, you know? Really scary."

"Well, he does want the defense post." Dean shrugs.

"But this goes beyond that." Seamus insists, "The guy looked murderous. I'm telling you, this isn't normal."

"Maybe it's his robes?" Parvati suggests, "I'd have to agree if it was. What was he thinking, wearing those to the start of term feast?"

"What do you mean!?" Dean glares, "I'll bet that there's some story behind those robes! Maybe they were destroyed while he was fighting off a yeti to save a convent of beautiful maidens!"

"You spent way too much of last year reading Lockhart's book." Harry chuckles.'

"Well, what else could I do?" he counters, "Until you, we aren't defense masters, so we had to brown nose our way through the year!"

"Well, I'm sure that Professor Lupin won't grade you any different for thinking that he's Lockhart, so no reason to remember those books." Hermione says thoughtfully.

"Fine." He mutters, and all of them laugh hysterically.

* * *

The next morning, after a wonderful night's sleep in the closest thing he's ever known to a home, Harry and Hermione walk down to the Great Hall. Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy was amusing himself by fake fainting while Crabbe and Goyle pretend to be dementors.

"Hey Potter!" Pansy Parkinson calls, "You scared of the big bad dementors?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Harry says coldly, "you're not that scar- oh I can't even say that with a straight face. Didn't anyone tell you that Halloween was in October, or are you just trying to scare first years with that ugly mug of yours?"

Pansy's face flushed crimson as the other Slytherins roar in disapproval with more than a few wands drawn.

"Detention, potter." Snape sneers as he walks by, "You shouldn't let words get to you."

"Either assign one for her words, or I'm not going." Harry glares, making him stop in his tracks, "You claim that I shouldn't let words affect me, than neither should she. If what she said isn't worth a detention, I can only assume that would I said isn't worth it either, which means that you're singling me out over a petty grudge that died years ago, and as such I have no reason to go to a detention with a petulant child!"

The entire Slytherin table looked livid, and the Gryffindors looked at him in awe. Hermione looked torn between terror and admiration.

"That'll be a month's detention." Snape snaps, "Shall I increase it?"

"You're just proving my point." Harry smirks, "They're words, Professor. You shouldn't let them bother you."

Now the Gryffindors laugh at Snape's violet face as he draws his wand and levels it with Harry's face. There was a flash of light and Snape was thrown backwards by McGonagall's spell as she and three other teachers stand between Harry and Snape, "What is the meaning of this, Severus?" she says loudly, drawing what little attention was still turned elsewhere, "Surely you were not about to curse Mr. Potter for no reason?!"

"That insolent little brat-" he growls, before schooling his features, "Mr. Potter saw fit to insult me as revenge for giving him detention, then continued to do so when I gave him an appropriate punishment., I'll admit, I likely overreacted…"

"Why not explain better than that?" Harry glares, "Like how you gave me a detention for responding to Pansy's insult, yet let her off without punishment? Or perhaps how you're nothing but a hypocrite. You claim that I shouldn't let mere words affect me, and yet you almost ruin your career because a student used your own words against you. Also, I was under the impression that the guidelines for punishments were one insult, one detention, regardless of who it was to, so how exactly is one month of detentions 'appropriate punishment' for calling you a petulant child!?"

"What is the meaning of this, Minerva?" Dumbledore says as he strides into the room.

"Headmaster, that boy-"Snape starts before Dumbledore raises a hand to silence him.

"Professor Dumbledore, it appears that Professor Snape and Mr. Potter had a disagreement." She answers, "Professor Snape gave Mr. Potter a detention, and after a slight argument, Severus almost cursed him."

"Severus, Harry, my office." Dumbledore says firmly, turning and walking from the room Harry right behind him. After a few moments of seething, Severus trails behind them.

"Ice mice." Dumbledore says as he approaches the Gargoyle which jumps aside at his words. Harry and Snape follow him up the stairs, and sit in the two chairs he conjures on the opposite side of the desk, "Now then. **We** are going to settle this reasonably. Severus, I am going to ask you for your version of events, during which Harry will say nothing. I will then listen to Harry's, where you will say nothing. After wards, we shall try to work out something amendable to both of you. Am I understood?"

Both nod, and he waves Snape on.

"I was entering the Great Hall when I overheard Potter insulting Ms. Parkinson. As is my duty, I interceded and gave Mr. Potter detention. Potter then begins to insult **me**, which I again give him detention for. Refusing to back down, he continues, and I admit that I forgot myself for a slight moment, and drew my wand. Thankfully, Minerva stopped me before anything happened."

"I see." Dumbledore nods, "Harry, your side?"

"I was going to breakfast when Pansy began to make fun of me for something completely outside of my control. I simply responded in kind." Harry says calmly, "Than Professor Snape gave me a detention, while not so much as reprimanding Parkinson. I told him that if he was going to do his job and give me a detention, that he should give one to her as well, since we broke the same rule. I also told him that if he didn't I would assume that he was simply making my life difficult because of my father, who has been dead for over a decade, and that I wouldn't recognize the detention. Snape than gave me one month of detentions for calling him out, and responded by calling him a hypocrite. He claims that words shouldn't bother me, and then let's himself get riled up. That was when Snape pulled his wand on me and professor McGonagall stepped in."

"I see." Dumbledore says thoughtfully, "Well, first of all, Severus, surely you can see that a childish fight doesn't warrant detention, first of all."

"It isn't the first time that Potter has insulted a fellow student." Snape says viciously, "If taking points doesn't work on him, that leaves me with my only alternative."

"Harry?" Dumbledore asks.

"All of those other times were the same. I insult them after they insult me and I'm the only one that gets punished." Harry glares.

"Next, Severus, surely a month of detentions is far too much." He says pleasantly,

"If he continues to run his mouth, then perhaps it isn't enough." Snape hisses.

"In the school rules, the maximum punishment for insulting another, regardless of who, is one detention per insult. I gave one, so perhaps you can explain how getting thirty is 'fair'." Harry says coldly.

"Harry is correct, Severus." Dumbledore nods, "The second punishment is far outside of what is within your powers, thus I will alter it to thirty points from Gryffindor. As for the first, given the situation, I cannot blame Severus for not punishing Ms. Parkinson for something that was outside of his knowledge."

'Yet somehow he knew that I insult her in retaliation for her words." Harry says calmly, "His exact words were 'you shouldn't let words get to you.' How would he know that I let words get to me unless he knew that Pansy had insulted me?"

"Severus?" Dumbledore says with a twinkle in his eye.

"Pansy's words were not insulting." He replies, "She was simply inquiring as to whether Mr. Potter was afraid of the dementors. A harmless query that in no way warranted the verbal assault she sustained."

"Yes, of course. Because the Slytherin's couldn't possibly know that I fainted from them." Harry says sarcastically, "Malfoy was just miming like that because he's practicing for the school play."

"That would be a true shame." Dumbledore chuckles, "As Hogwarts hasn't had a play in almost fifty years. Nevertheless, her words were not truly insulting in and of themselves, and without having been there I cannot say that she was truly at fault. But nor can I say that you are entirely at fault. Ten points will be taken in lieu of a detention, and, since at least we can agree that Mr. Malfoy was doing it just to raise a reaction from you, ten points from Slytherin as well."

"Headmaster-"Snape starts before being cut off.

"Severus, this is my final decision." He says firmly, "As for your own punishment, you will be on probation until the Christmas holidays. All punishments will be looked over by me until that time to ensure that you are acting in all fairness. I may also watch one of you class without your knowledge so that I can confirm you are acting properly towards all students."

Snape opens his mouth to speak again, but Dumbledore shoots it down, "This is my final word, Severus. You are on very thin ice here. I have received countless complaints about you ever since you started here thirteen years ago. None of them warranted true concern, thus I have allowed you to remain. However, your actions this morning were completely out of line. Perhaps Mr. Potter shouldn't have antagonized you, but that does not permit you to draw your wand against a student who is not in any way acting violently nor is he even acting threateningly. You should have taken your own advice and walked away. Now, please leave my office and prepare for your first class."

Snape glares angrily at the headmaster, but skulks out of the room without another word.

"Harry, it appears that you've all but run out your time for breakfast." Dumbledore smiles while writing something on a piece of parchment, "I will have some food brought up for you, and then you can go straight to your first class."

"Thank you sir." Harry nods as Dumbledore gives Fawkes the slip of paper and Fawkes bursts into flames and vanishes.

"Now that that's taken care of… Dobby!" Dumbledore says clearly and there was a loud crack.

"How may dobby help Master Longbeard?" The very familiar hyperactive elf bows.

"Harry would like a plate of food please." Dumbledore says happily, "Unfortunately I've kept him from his meal for too long this morning."

Dobby turns and gasps before answering, "Dobby would be most happy to bring Mr. Harry Potter Sir his breaky." Popping back out, he returns a moment later with a plate of food big enough for Hagrid, which he places on the table with a bow and disappears again just as Fawkes reappears with a different piece of paper.

"Ah, here you are, Harry." Dumbledore says as he hands Harry the paper, "Your schedule. It would not do you well to leave here for your first class without first knowing what your first class is."

"Right, good point." Harry chuckles, having completely forgotten, "Let's see… Arithmancy, Transfiguration, Lunch, Alchemy. Not bad for a first day."

"Oh?" Dumbledore smiles, "May I?"

Harry wordlessly hands him the schedule, which he looks at and smiles, "This is the exact same schedule that I had during my own third year. Different teachers of course, but still. The exact same course on the exact same days. I'm shocked at the classes you choose. It seems that you've gone for more of the Hermione Granger path then the Ronald Weasley, though I'm sure Hagrid was disappointed that you didn't choose Care of Magical Creatures."

"Well, After Fluffy, Aragog, and the Basilisk, I think that Magical Creatures and I just won't get along." Harry admits, "Though I might have taken it if I'd known that Hagrid would be teaching."

"Might I offer you a word of advice?" Dumbledore asks as he hands Harry back the schedule, "Do not take classes simply because you don't want to upset your friends. As kind as it is, you will only end up hurting yourself. A true friend will accept your choice for your life and support you wholeheartedly."

"Thank you, sir." Harry smiles, as he starts eating his breakfast.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Dumbledore sighs, "Harry, I understand that you and Professor Snape will likely never get along, however, I ask that you please at least show him the respect he deserves."

"I will show him respect inside the classroom." Harry nods, "But outside of it, he has to earn it. Stop showing such blatant favoritism towards the Slytherins, starting making an attempt to be fair to the other houses, learn to do the job he was hired to do, and stop treating me like my father. If you can do these things, he'll have my respect. Until then, don't ask for what he hasn't earned."

"I suppose that that is fair." Dumbledore sighs again, "I shall endeavor to aid him in fulfilling your expectations. He truly is a wonderful teacher, he simply has much higher standards than most would, being a potions prodigy himself, and so most of what I taught at this stage was all but second nature to him. It would be like you trying to teach someone to fly. With your skill, you wouldn't think to teach the basics that you master easily, but takes others years to do."

"I hadn't thought about that…." Harry mutters after finishing his food, "But that still doesn't explain the attitude."

"No it doesn't, and that is the real reason I put him on probation. If he can only learn to understand his students, I assure you that every one of you would be eligible for the NEWTS." Dumbledore smiles, "His skill far outstrip even my own and Lord Voldemort's."

"I promise that I will at least give him a chance this year." Harry nods, "As long as he does the same."

"Good. I cannot ask for anything more." Dumbledore smiles brightly, "Now, you'd best get ready to leave. Class starts in ten minutes, and you need to get your books."

"Thank you, for, for everything." Harry smiles.

"Anytime, dear boy. Simply come up for a chat. You know the password now, after all." He chuckles as Harry runs from the room.

* * *

So, next time is Harry's first class with Professor Elric. Again, feel free to leave a reveiw.


	3. professor Elric

First alchemy lesson. Read on!

* * *

FMA chapter 3

"Finally!" Hermione whispers as Harry sits next to her, "I was worried you'd be late."

"Sorry about that." Harry whispers back as he sits down in the Arithmancy classroom, "Dumbledore kept me too long, so I finished breakfast talking with him before coming here."

"Alright. But what happened with Professor Snape?" she asks.

"I don't have any detentions, though I did lose forty points." Harry grins, "And Snape's on probation."

"Well, I'm glad." Hermione huffs, "He was completely out of line this morning."

Harry's next comment was cut off when Professor Vector walks in.

"Welcome everyone." She says with a smile, "To basic Arithmancy. I am Professor Vector, and I will be teaching each of you for the next three years, some of you even longer. Now, before we begin, are there any questions?"

As expected, Hermione hand flew up, along with a handful of Ravenclaws.

"Ms. Granger?" Vector asks, turning towards her.

"Professor, what careers does Arithmancy open up?" Hermione asks.

"Well, quite a few actually." The professor nods, waving her wand, "Obviously, arithamancial equations are all but essential if you intend to safely create spells. A skilled curse break must understand the subtle variations between the curses to directly counter them without triggering them. For a similar reason, it can prove helpful for those intending to become a healer, since ones understanding of a spell would help to counteract it without risking increasing the damage. Finally, I don't know if any of you are taking it during your time here, but specialized alchemic arrays have complex arithamancial equations tied into them to limit and control the flow of power."

"Thank you." Hermione smiles as Professor Vector moves on to Padma Patil, then Terry boot, before finally finishing the questions and moving on to the notes. On the surface, it didn't seem too difficult, but it certainly was. Even Hermione couldn't deny that it was a bit of a challenge. Their homework was a ten inch essay on predicting the brightness of a lumos based on a set power ratio.

"Well, that was interesting." Hermione says as they walk to the transfiguration classroom, "And I couldn't help but notice that you were actually taking notes!"

"No need to sound so surprised." Harry huffs, "I generally take notes unless it's History of magic. Although I might have been a bit encouraged when she mentioned it was used in…" he looks back over his shoulder, but Hermione was gone. Harry scratches his head in confusion before shrugging and entering the classroom.

Somehow, Hermione had beaten him in and was chatting intently with Ron, who looked as pale as nearly headless nick.

"What's wrong?" Harry asks, sitting next to her.

"The grim…" Dean whispers from the next row, "IT was in his cup. Seriously bad omen."

"I don't think I'll be going to Care of magical Creatures." Ron squeaks, "Too many dangerous things…"

"Of course, the same in here, right?" Harry says jokingly, "Why, you might slip and stab yourself with a quill."

Ron gasps and throws his quill like it had burned him, even going so far as to brandish his wand at it, and then set it on fire when Professor McGonagall startles him by closing the doors.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley." She sighs, "You should show your writing implements more respect."

"Sorry, professor." He blushes, "Won't happen again…"

"I should hope not." She nods, "I would expect that sort of tomfoolery form Mr. Finnegan-" a loud cry of "hey!" was heard in the back of the room, "But I thought that Ms. Granger had been a better influence on you."

Now it was Hermione that blushes as McGonagall starts class. With a wave of her wand, the topic scribbled itself on the black board, 'Animagus'.

"Now, who can tell me what an animagus is?" she asks from the front of the class.

As always, Hermione's hand shot into the air, waiting patiently to give a complete and detailed answer.

"Ms. Granger?" McGonagall says when it was obvious that there weren't any more students.

"An Animagus is a witch or wizard than can transform into an animal at will." She says quickly, "It is considered the most complex topic in transfiguration, as the risks involved are serious."

"Correct as always. Five points to Gryffindor." She nods, "As Ms. Granger said, an animagus can transform at will, regardless of whether or not he or she has a wand." Placing her wand down on the front desk, she transforms into an orange tabby cat and back, receiving generous applause before she continues the lecture, "However it is also quite dangerous, as one mistake can leave a wizard trapped in the form of an animal with no way back. Now, for obvious reasons, this is not a topic to be attempted by third years. Nevertheless, we will spend the rest of today briefly going over the topic, and give you something to strive for if you can complete your NEWTs."

Once again, Harry found himself taking notes on the interesting lesson. As hard as she made it sound, he felt that it wasn't impossible for a younger student to complete. It would be dangerous, but as long as there was a skilled witch or wizard nearby to change them back if anything goes wrong, it should be doable. Well, something to look forward to later. With transfiguration behind him, all that was left was the most anticipated class yet. But that wasn't until after lunch.

"Hermione, you saw the cup!" Ron moans, "You saw it! It was the grim!"

"Saw it?" Harry stares at her, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, Harry." Hermione says quickly, "Really, it's nothing."

Ignoring her, Ron continues talking, "What's so confusing? Hermione saw the cup. Which means she knows that I'm going to die!"

Harry looks at her for a moment, "How could you have been in divination if you were at Arithmancy?"

"What?" Ron gasps, "But... how did you …"

"Really, it's nothing." Hermione glares, "Can we just drop the subject? Harry, what class do you have next? We never got a chance to compare schedules this morning."

"Alchemy. What about you guys?" Harry answers truthfully, fully aware that Hermione was trying to get away from her earlier lessons.

"Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione tells him, "It should be nice to know if Hagrid is a good teacher."

"I'm not going." Ron mutters, "I'd never get out of there alive!"

"You're over reacting." Harry sighs, "As big as Hagrid is, I'm sure that there isn't a magical creature he couldn't subdue with his bare hands, and he can't very well let you die on his first lesson."

"I can't believe that you actually by that rubbish Trelawney was spouting." Hermione huffs.

"'Rubbish'?" Ron glares, slamming his glass of pumpkin juice back to the table, "There's nothing rubbish about the grim! My uncle, Bilius, he saw the grim and died the very next day!"

"Well, that explains it." Hermione shrugs, ignoring his outburst, "He thought that he was going to die, and it scared him to death. The grim isn't an omen. It's a cause of death. You worry too much. Relax and you'll be fine."

The look in Ron's eye told Harry that he wasn't buying it, but at least he let the subject drop. As they left the Great Hall after lunch, Hermione once again reminded him that she wanted him to take detailed notes on his alchemy lessons, which he agreed to multiple times, and she almost dragged Ron towards the Hogwarts grounds while Harry went to the fourth floor and into the alchemy class room.

The class room was mostly empty, except for the teacher, a young man probably less than ten years older than Harry, with short blond hair and bright gold eyes.

"Hi." He smiles, motioning Harry in, "Welcome to practical alchemy."

"Hi." Harry says, taking a seat near the front of the class. Behind him, a few more people were coming in; almost all of them were Ravenclaws, though he did see a few Slytherins and two Hufflepuff's. In all, there were ten students in the class from all four houses in the classroom.

"Welcome everyone." The professor says after taking roll call, "I am Professor Elric, and I'll be teaching you all hopefully for the next five years. Before we start, are there any questions?"

Half a dozen people raised their hands, and he pointed towards one of the two Slytherin girls, "Ms. Davis?"

"Are you Edward Elric?" she says critically, "As in the full metal alchemist?"

"No, I'm not." He laughs, "But you're close. I'm Alphonse Elric. Edward Elric is my big brother."

"oh." The Slytherin girl says, taking her seat. One of the Ravenclaws also lowered her hand, and Professor Elric looks over them and next calls on Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff.

"Is it true that you can perform alchemy without a transmutation circle?" she asks nervously.

Alphonse smiles and claps his hands before touching the desk, which was turned into a marble statue of Professor Dumbledore, "I can, but that isn't something that I can teach you, I'm afraid."

Hannah's eyes grow wide at the display of alchemy which Alphonse turns back the same way. The next person was Hannah's friend, Susan Bones.

"Do you think the Philosopher stone is real?"

"I know it is." He nods sadly, "My brother and I searched years for the secret of how to make one, and we succeeded."

Susan gasps, along with several other people, but he just shook his head, "We never made one. The price was just too high. Lesson number one. Don't try something without understanding exactly what it will cost to do. Are there any more questions?"

Finally, there were no more hands in the air, and he turns back to his desk, taking out a small black box. Inside were several pieces of chalk, which he handed to all of them, "These were charmed to be unbreakable, and they'll last far longer than they should. You can use any sort of writing implement, but I've always found chalk to work best for the type of transmutations we'll be working with this year. You're welcome to keep those. Now, let's get started. Who can tell me the most important law of alchemy?"

Harry was the only person to raise his hand, something which surprised him. All these Ravenclaws and none of them knew?

"Mr. Potter?" Al asked.

"Human kind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." Harry recited, word or word, from the textbook.

"Five points to Gryffindor." He nods, "That's the law of equivalent exchange. It's the basis of all alchemy, and the start and end of your teaching. Unless you can understand it, you'll waste far more power than you needed to and still come up short. There are two parts to the law of equivalent exchange: The Law of the Conservation of Mass and the Law of Natural Providence. Can anyone tell me what those consist of?"

Harry again raised his hand, but this time so did a couple of the Ravenclaws.

"Ms. Li?" he asks the shortest of the Ravenclaws.

"The Conservation of Mass says that the mass must remain equal. Either the final product must have the same mass as the start, or the sum of all remaining pieces will add to the starting amount." She answers.

"Five points to Ravenclaw." He nods, "Which means, of course, that you can't turn a piece of parchment into a sword, as the mass would be too different. If you did, it would be practically useless, as it would amount to a hollow shell in the shape of a sword in order to maintain the mass. Next?"

All of the Ravenclaws lowered their hands, leaving only Harry.

"Mr. Potter?"

"The law of natural Providence says that you cannot transmute an object into something that is fundamentally different than itself." Harry says, again reciting from the text book.

"Five more points to Gryffindor. That's correct." He nods, "What that basically amounts to is that you can't alter the entirety of an object. An object that is mostly water must remain mostly water. You can't transmute wood into stone or vice versa." Placing his hand on the desk, he continues, "Both of those laws are required to successfully transmute anything. This desk is made of granite, a stone, so I obviously couldn't turn it into a tree, as organic and inorganic are too different. At the same time, the overall mass must be kept equal. Transmuting Granite to marble is no problem, and the mass was solved by having the statue be hollow to a certain extent, keeping the mass equal. Both laws were satisfied and the transmutation went off without a hitch."

Padma Patil raises her hand after he finishes, and he smiles, "Yes, Ms. Patil?"

"Is there any way around them?" she asks, and he laughs.

"Spoken like a true Ravenclaw." He smiles, "No, there are ways that a skilled alchemist can bypass both laws." To demonstrate, he again claps his hands and touches the desk. This time, to turns into a wooden cabinet, "However, that's NEWTs standard, so don't concern yourself with it for now. It takes a lot out of you, and it's usually more trouble than it's worth."

"Let's keep going with the basics, so that maybe next time we can get to the actual practice." He grins, "What are the three steps of alchemy?"

Harry and about four other people raised their hands. "Ms. Greengrass?" he asks the other Slytherin girl.

"Comprehension, deconstruction and reconstruction. "She says while the rest of the class was taking notes. Harry already had all of them filled in, so that hormone wouldn't complain.

"Ten points for Slytherin." he says as he writes them on the board, "Who can tell me what they all mean?" the same people kept their hands in the air, "Mr. Boot?" he asks the Ravenclaw boy in the second row, "Please define comprehension."

"Understanding what the object is made of, and its structure." He answers.

"Well said, five points to Ravenclaw. Ms. Turpin, can you define Deconstruction?"

"Breaking down the object into a more easily manipulated form." The tallest of the Ravenclaws answers.

"Perfect." He nods, "Finally, Mr. Potter?"

"Reconstruction is converting that material into your desired shape." Harry says and Alphonse writes down each description on the board.

"Five points for Ms. Turpin, and five for Mr. Potter." He says, turning back to the class, "Those three steps are used each time you want to transmute something. Regardless of what you are trying to create, the steps are the same. Whether you want to make a fancy boat or a small sculpture."

After turning the cabinet back to a desk, he looks up at the clock on the wall, "Well, it looks like we've got a bit more time left, so let's keep going. Next up is the transmutation circle. Can anyone tell me what the circle is used for?"

Once again, Harry's was the only hand, and al nods, "Mr. Potter?"

"It dictates the flow of energy and allows it to be controlled for the transmutation." Harry answers.

"Ten points to Gryffindor. Excellently worded. In truth it's a lot more complicated, but your explanation is correct in the essentials. The circle is a shape which is most attuned to the magic flowing in your bodies, making it the best shape to use. There have been attempts at using other shapes, but even the most skilled alchemist has failed, and there were quite a few nasty rebounds… Anyway, Mr. Potter is correct."

Taking a piece of chalk from inside the box, he starts drawing a large, perfect circle around the desk. With the circle drawn, he nods, "Now watch." Placing a hand on the circle, it set off sparks of lightning all around it, but there was no change. More than a few people looked confused. In fact, Harry was probably the only one that wasn't. "Now, who can tell me what went wrong?"

No one raised their hand, and Harry sighs, "A circle itself is a means of harnessing the power, not using it. There wasn't a matrix within the circle to direct the power, so the power was there, but not being put to use."

"Fifteen points." Alphonse nods, "It looks like you already finished your textbook, Mr. Potter. That's correct. Without any symbols, commonly called a matrix, I could channel magic into it all day, but nothing would change."

At that moment, the bell sounded, announcing the end of the class, "Alright, homework for tonight is reading chapter one of your textbooks, and be ready for a quiz during our next class."

The students all start talking at once, and Harry quickly looks over the notes. Once he was satisfied that Hermione wouldn't rip his head off for forgetting something important, he packs up his things and left.

Hermione and Ron were in the common room, arguing about something. "What's going on?" He asks, standing about five feet away from them.

"Harry!" Hermione smiles, but it turns back to a scowl as she turns to Ron, "There was a tragic accident in Care of Magical Creatures and Ronald seems to think it's funny."

"I never said that!" Ron growls, "All I said was that at least we might get a decent Care teacher!"

"What happened?" he asks, sitting across from them.

"Well, Hagrid was giving a lesson on Hippogriffs." Hermione starts, and Ron snorts.

"If you can call mumbling and saying hippogriff 'teaching'."

Harry casts a glare at Ron, who puts his hands up defensively, and hermione continues, "So, he asked me to demonstrate how to approach one, after explaining that offending them is dangerous. After I did, Malfoy walks up to it and calls it a bloody chicken. As everyone expected, the hippogriff took offense, and tried to kill him, injuring him before Hagrid could regain control of it."

"Malfoy survived, didn't he?" Harry asks, slightly hoping that he didn't.

"Of course he did. But everyone, especially Lucius Malfoy is going to blame Hagrid for it." She sighs, "And that means that Hagrid could lose his job, and probably go to jail if Malfoy has any say in it."

"Relax, Hermione." Ron smirks, "Just think, we might actually get a competent teacher once he's gone-"

He was interrupted by two things. First Hermione slaps him, hard. Then Harry punches him, harder. Every eye in the common room was on Ron as he flies out of his chair, crashing to the ground.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Hermione growls, stomping towards him, "How could you say that!?"

"Come off it." He says defensively, "You can't actually think that he's a good teacher?"

"Hagrid is our friend." She says as Harry nods, "I can't believe that you actually want him to lose his job!"

"I don't want him to." Ron says quietly, "It's just that it wouldn't be all bad if he did."

"That's just as bad!" Harry shouts, making him wince, "When a friend is in trouble you don't worry about the positive aspects, you worry about helping them!"

"Harry…" Ron mutters, and more than one person glares at him. Under the intense glares of the common room and his two best friends, Ron cowers and runs up to the dormitories.

"Let's go see him." Harry says to Hermione, who follows after him after sending a few parting glares at Ron's back.

As Harry rounds the final corner to the grand staircase, he bumps into someone, causing both of them to fall to the floor. "Ow…" he grumbles getting back up, "Sorry about that." He says, extending his hand to the small blond haired girl in front of him.

"It's quite alright." She says as he helps her to her feet, "I probably should've watched where I was going."

"I'm just as guilty." Harry says, "I was in a bit of a hurry and wasn't paying attention."

"May I ask where you were in a hurry to?" she says as Hermione catches up to them.

"I was going down to see the gamekeeper." He tells her.

"Hagrid?" she asks, "Did you hear what happened earlier?"

"That's why I was going to see him." Harry nods.

"Would you mind if I came along?" she says questioningly, "I meant to go down a little later, but I might be better to go as a group."

"I don't mind." Harry tells her, "Hermione?"

"It's fine." She huffs, "Anyone's better than Ronald."

"Then let's go." Harry says, extending his hand, "I'm Harry Potter."

"Luna Lovegood." She says, shaking it and the three go down to the gamekeeper's hut.

* * *

Reviews are always welcome.


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